The Legend of Luther Strode #1 Review

So many dudes getting their faces punched off.

If you read the original Luther Strode series, then you know that these books don't shy away from the hyper violence. The first issue of The Legend of Luther Strode features lots of exploding heads, one ripped out heart, and a guy getting his face chopped in half with a manhole cover. If that kinda of brutal and bloody action sounds like a good time to you – and why wouldn't it? -- then you should check out this series. Actually, read the first series and come back to this one. It'll pay off better.

Justin Jordan does a neat little trick here. Luther Strode was the hero of our first book, a small boy trying to do right and figure out the extent of his powers (and bag a girl while he was at it). Now, he's literally a legend. The point of view has shifted and he spends the majority of the issue hidden the shadows. A boogeyman that the bad guys whisper about. The guy who rips evil people apart. It's a clever structure that plays incredibly well if you read the first series.

But, what we all came to see was the blood and guts, and Tradd Moore delivers that in spades. His art style is unique and instantly recognizable. There's movement to every page, a frantic, bustling energy that you just feel. And buckets of blood. Blood everywhere. If Marvel ever decides to do a Hulk MAX series where the Hulk just crushes people, they had better call Tradd Moore to draw it. I'm hard pressed to think of anybody that draws this level of violence and intensity better.